An infrared security camera has infrared LEDlighting (light from a different region of the
electromagnetic spectrum than we normally use to see) installed around the outside of the lens of the camera.
This lighting allows the camera to capture a good image in no light at all. With a little bit of light
(called low light) the infrared camera can capture a picture that looks just like daytime. People use infrared
security cameras for businesses that have the lights out at night (in case of break-ins). Or for outside,
nighttime viewing. Keep in mind that even at nightime there is a normally some light from the moon, stars, or
street lights.

Infrared cameras are often called "Night Vision" cameras because they can 'see' at night. However, do not
confuse "Night Vision" with "Day / Night Cameras". Day/Night cameras do not have infrared lights built in.
More about those types of cameras below.

Infrared security cameras will provide a color picture while the light is good. When it gets dark, the
camera will switch to infrared mode and illuminate it's built-in infrared LEDs. In infrared mode the image is
captured in black and white - this is true of all infrared cameras. The level of light required to capture
a good picture is referred to as a camera's lux, the lower the lux the better the camera can see in low
light. For example a camera with 0.003 lux is better than a camera with 0.2 lux. Infrared cameras are
considered to be 0.0 lux in infrared mode - in other words they can 'see' with no light at all.

Infrared cameras are also compared by how far they can see in total darkness. This is generally a result of
how many infrared LEDs are built into the camera. Our Long Range Color Day/Night Weatherproof IR Camera can see
up to 150ft. with no light at all. In general the distance an IR camera can see is roughly 2X the number of LED's in feet.

If you are going to use an infrared camera outdoors, its best to use a outdoor weatherproof bullet style
camera. This is because if you use an indoor infrared camera and need to put it in an outdoor housing,
sometimes the infrared light reflects off the glass of the housing. Some people get acceptable results if
the camera is absolutely flush up to the glass thereby reducing the glare. An alternative solution is to use
a day/night camera which has an extra sensitive imaging chip that allows it to capture a good picture in low
light situations without using infrared lighting. This works well for example if there are street lights
outside or an exterior light that can be left on at night. Keep in mind that cameras without infrared
lighting will not capture an image with zero light. The other issue to consider is that infrared cameras
require more power (more amperage). The power requirements are provided in the specs for each camera.